Fan or blower.



Hihi.

BLOWER.

FAN Si?.

Hummm HLED MAY 5, 1910.

- auteure.

naar on nnownrt.

. To all whom t may concern.'

Iaxis of rotation of the fan blades.

Be it known that I, HENRY P. GALE, a citizen of the United Stateaand resldent ot Chicago, Cool'r county, illinois, have invent `ed certain new and useful Improvements in Fans or Blowers, of which the following is a specification. y

My invention relates to fans or blowers, and has particular-reference to fansv of a` centrifugal type.

In: the ordinary type of fan, the housing has an inlet opening therein through-which the air passes' to a position at or nea 'the nasmuch as these blades are rapidly revolving, the air is thrown by centrifugal force toward the periphery of the rotating fan Wheel,- and this air is then expelled through a suitable out-let in 'the housing. rEhe force which has been utilized up to 'the present time in driving the air through fans'is the centrifugal' force just described. I have discovered that a second force may be advantageously utilized, na'riely, the force of eduction which is the aspiratingg,` force exerted by a Huid acting on the end of 'a tube in a direction substantially at a right angle to the axis of thelatter, and the elliciency of the fan therebygreatly increased.

structing my fan so that this force of eduction is utilized to the greatest extent, l have succeeded in operating fans at a practical efficiency ofg85 to 90 per cent., and even more, whereas the highest efficiency which has'been obtained in the case of fans of the prior art has not exceeded a theoretical maximum lof G5 per cent., and has fallen much below this in practicalV efficiency.

ln order to have a thorough comprehen# sion of my fan, 1t will be necessary to describe the theoretical principles which cause its ellicient operation.

If lan ordinary-tube is cut on its end so that this end forms -an angle of approximately 54 degrees with the main axis of the tube, and the tube is placed with its main .axis perpendicular to vthe currentof airl and with its obliquely cut end facing inthe direction from which the air fiows, it has been found that no air will enter this tube, nor

.will any air be drawn from the tube by eduction. New', if instead of using a tube whose .end has been cutoff at an angle of 54 degrees,

a tube having its end 'cutoff at an angle of A9() degrees, is used, it has been found. that there isla certain force of reduction-acting Specification of Letters Patent. Application led May 5, 1910. Serial No. 559,654.

By con-l lPatented Jan. "il, d.

upon the air within the tube, this force being measured `by tle displaced Waterin an ordinary draft gage.A lf, instead of using a tube having its end cut off at anangle of 5edegrecs with this obliquely cut end facing the main current of air, We use the same tube but place it in such a position that the obliquely out end faces ithe direction toward which the current of air flows, We shall new find that the force of eduction las measured i by a draft gage is equivalent to twicethat which was, exerted in the case of the tube having its end cut olf at an angle of'QO". If, instead of having the tubes which We have described stationary in a current of moving air or other fluid, We reversethe process and move the tubes, we shall obtain results which are exactly analogous. lt isthe means for utilizing this principle which forms the subject matter of my invention.

In my improved fan the fan Wheel comn prises a. plurality of buckets, each bucket having a. long and a short blade which are outwardly coni/'erging toward each other, the angle between the line normal te and connecting the outer edges of these blades and the radius ofthe fan Wheel extendin,1 to the edge of the longer blade and norniai thereto being, preferably, approximateiy fifty-four degrees fn rotating the fan wheel the longer blade of each bucket precedes the shorter blade. sutiicient space is provided between the periphery the fan wheel and the housing so th; air in such space is relatively still, causing the buckets, to exert a force, both cductive and centrifugal, drawing the air or other liuid throu buckets into the space between the fan and the housing. i

Each -fan bucket is constructed with a suit-able. taper toward its outer end so that the pressure of air remains the same in all parts of the bucket, while the velocity in creases toward its outer end.

I have foundgthat when curved blades are.

employed there is a strong tendency for dust contained" in' the air to collect. in the curves of the blades, so that l prefer form the blades straight and thus prevent any' llmssibiliy of dust collecting in this manner., q

Not only .may my fau be used in connecn tion with air and similar gasesxhut it may also be employed as a centrifugal pump for liquids. l' have found that in. the latter case,

l.sons explained above, be reduced by approximately 50 per cent., and the etliciency of the fan would be correspondingly lessened.

It will thus be apparent that I have notV only erfected meansby-which the etciency. l0

of a an may be increased, but I have also evolved a method by which the etliciency of thefan may be regulated as desired.

I ordinarily employ t-wo sides for the fan wheel, the blades forming the buckets being attached to these sides. I may, however, attachthe blades directly to `the 'shaft 7 by means of a suitable frame, and .thus entirely eliminate theside members l0 and 1l. In this case, the blades should be constructed so that their sides have only a slight clearance from the side walls of the housing. v

It will be apparent that many changes may be lnade in the detailed construction of the apparatus which I have described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim r' l. In a fan, the combination of a housing, and a rotatable fan wheel within said housing, said fan wheel comprising a plurality of buckets, each ofsaigl buckets having a pair of-bladesof different lengths, a line between the outer edges of said blades at points which lie in the same plane at right .angles to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel forming an acute angle with 'the radius of the fan wheel connecting to the outer edge of the longer blade, the space between the periphery of said fan wheel and the housing being relatively large, whereby the peripheral speed of the fan wheel is greater4 than the velocity of the fluid moved within said housing, thereby causing each of said buckets to exert a combined eductive and centrifugal force on the luid within said fan wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a i'an, the combination of a scroll housing, and a fan wheel within said-housing, the space between the periphery of said fan wheel and said housing gradually increasing toward the outlet from the latter, said fan wheel comprising a plurality ot' buckets, each of said buckets having a pair of blades of different lengths, a line between the outer edges of said blades at points which lie in the same plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel formin an acute angle with the radius of the fan W eel connecting to the outer edge ofthe longer bl-ade,'whereby on rotation of the fan wheel the relatively still Huid .contained between the periphery of the fan wheel and the houslng causes each of said buckets to exert an. eductive force on the fluid contained-within Awheel forming an angle of from o vto 65 -with the radius of said fan wheel connecting to the outer edge of the longer blade, thereby causing each of said buckets to exert an eductive force 0n the fluid within said fan wheel on rotation ofthe latter, substantially as described.

4. In a fan, the combination of a housing, and a fan wheel within said housing, 'the space between the peripheryl of said fan wheel and said housing gradually increasing toward the outlet from the latter, said fan wheel comprising a plurality'of buckets, each of saidbuckets tapering toward its peripheral end and comprising a pair of blades of different lengths, each of said buckets having a pair of blades of different lengths, a line between the outer edges of,

said blades at points which lie in the same plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel forming an angle of from 50o to 65 With the radius of said fan wheel connecting to the outer edgev of the longer blade. whereby on rotation of said fan wheel the fluid between the periphery4 of said wheel and said housing causes each bucket to exert an eductive force on the fluid contained within said fan wheel and the taper of said bucket causes the fluid to increase in velocity in its passage therep through, substantially as described.

I. HENRY P. GALE. Witnesses:

`WM. O. BELT', M. AJKIDDIE. 

